We're On Thin Ice (We Might As Well Dance)
by Isla-x-bbe
Summary: Finn is disqualified from competing and Clarke needs a new ice dance partner fast! Luckily, Marcus knows just the man for the job. The Ice Dance AU that no one asked for.


Can I just say right now that I hate this website? This took three attempts to upload, and then it wouldn't let me edit anything. ANYWAY.  
This fic has been a long time coming I think. I've loved ice skating for so long and as soon as I saw the Virtue/Moir skate in the team event at the winter olympics I was hooked, that then sent me in a week long spiral that resulted in this fic. I thought this was gonna be like ~5k maybe? But then 16k later, here we are.

Big thanks to youleftme-clarke on tumblr for helping with Marcus' texts because I just forgot text talk for an evening. I'd also like to thank everyone on tumblr that kept me going writing this, and the people on twitter for flooding my feed with Virtue/Moir gifs and interviews that only fuelled my passion to finish this fic.  
Side note, I know nothing about Ice skating other than how to skate, so if there are any inaccuracies, I can only apologise.  
Anyway, onto the fic:

* * *

 ** _October - 2016_**

"Disqualified?!" Clarke shouted. People near them startled, but she was too angry to care. Finn looked away and Clarke crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm sorry…" Finn started trailing off.

"We have been training for this for months." Clarke ground out. "Sorry doesn't even cut it."

Finn rolled his eyes and Clarke let out a groan in exasperation, rubbing her forehead as she contemplated what this meant for them. Clarke had been reluctant to choose Finn as an ice dance partner to begin with, he was cocky and he often showed up late to practice. But he had _charisma_ and _stage presence_ as Abby had put it. So, she'd agree to dance with him and had even changed her entire team and management to fit to his schedule. They'd trained together almost every day for just over a year. Now, just months before they were set to go to competitions and get ready for the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, he'd been disqualified.

"There's been a misunderstanding with my contract." He said, his eyes pleading with her.

"Finn," she started.

"No, Clarke." He cut her off and she sighed. "I want to skate with you." He pleaded.

"We can't," she replied, shaking her head. "Your contract said you had to skate with Raven." Finn sighed.

"I thought we had something good here," he tried, grabbing her wrist. "Clarke, the crowds loved us together. Do you want to throw that all away?"

"It's nothing we can't stop, Finn." She said as she pulled her arm from his grasp. She picked up her duffel bag from the locker room and made her way out of the training centre. Finn called after her, but she didn't turn back.

Clarke gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles were white. She hadn't moved from the parking lot, too upset and angry to drive anywhere yet. She was so angry with Finn. _How could he do this?_ The Olympics were in a few years, and the competitions were in less than a month. How was she supposed to find a new partner now?

She felt a lump form in her throat at the thought of not being able to compete, it had been her dream to compete at the winter Olympics since she understood what the Olympics were. She took a deep breath and did what she always did when she was stressed or upset, and called her mom.

Abby Griffin, two times Olympic champion in ice dancing, knew almost every single person there was to call regarding ice dancing. If anyone could find a way out of this, it was Abby.

She picked up on the second ring.

"Hey honey," Abby's voice seemed to calm Clarke somewhat. "How was practice?"

"Mom," Clarke sighed. "Finn's been disqualified. He already had a dance partner that he didn't end his contract with. It's over, I can't go to the Olympics."

Abby stayed quiet while Clarke explained everything. Finn had been ice dance partners with Raven Reyes since they could both skate, they'd basically grown up together on the ice. They'd done a few competitions but Finn had wanted to change partners. He explained this to his coach and to Raven, but not well enough. Finn also missed the fine print in his contract that said he had to give six months' notice before changing partners, which he hadn't done. The International Skating Union had no choice but to disqualify him from pairs ice dancing, so Clarke was left without a partner.

"What am I gonna do, mom?" She asked as she rubbed her forehead, a headache already forming.

"I'll see if Marcus knows anyone looking for a partner." Abby said. Marcus Kane, as Clarke recalled, was a very serious trainer. She had met with him a couple of times, at functions her parents held. He was a nice man, but a stern coach. He wasn't her first choice of coach, but since technically her coach was Finn's, there wasn't much she could do about it now.

"Thanks, mom." She said. They said their goodbyes and Clarke hung up. Taking a deep breath, she turned the engine of the car on and set off home.

* * *

As it turns out, Marcus _did_ know someone who was looking for an ice dance partner. _Bellamy Blake_. Clarke groaned as she read the text over again, Marcus' use of text talk never failed to amaze her as much as confuse her.

 ** _Marcus Kane  
_** _Hey clarke hope ur well. Talked 2 abby & ur in luck!  
Bellamy blake is currently looking 4 a new partnr 2!  
LOL - M._

She thought about calling Wells again, but his knee injury had put him out of skating for good and she knew it was an unreasonable request. Her thumb hovered over the call symbol on her phone as she thought everything over. She remembered Bellamy Blake from a few years ago, when she was still dancing with Wells. They'd immediately clashed and she was apprehensive to skate with him if he was the same as a couple of years ago.

 _Clarke was nineteen, and ready for her first senior ice dance competition. The dance with Wells had been meticulously choreographed and she was feeling confident that they could ace this, if they could manage to stay in synch for the whole three minutes of Once Upon a Dream. Since it was a Disney song, Clarke's dress designer had insisted she wear a hideous pink dress with a skirt that was far too puffy to be considered practical for ice dancing._

 _She made her way through the halls, walking as quickly as her skates would allow, searching for Wells. She rounded the corner and walked straight into the back of another skater._

 _"I'm so sorry." Clarke said as she stepped back. The person she'd walked into was a one of the male pairs she was competing against. She looked up and saw broad shoulders and dark hair with what must have been a full tub of hair gel to hold it sleeked back. She wrinkled her nose as the smell of his too-strong cologne and hair gel hit her. He quickly span around and looked her up and down. He had a strong jawline and freckles were splattered across his face, if Clarke was an artist she might like to paint him._

 _"Watch it, Princess." He bit out. She rolled her eyes, and nice thoughts she'd had were diminished with a simple sentence. She turned on her heel, Wells clearly wasn't there._

 _Clarke shook the encounter from her head and smiled when she spotted Wells walking towards her._

 _"Ready?" She asked, taking his arm. He nodded and they made their way towards the ice._

 _They reached the centre of the ice and Clarke let out a shaky breath. She pushed all other thoughts from her mind when the music started, allowing her months of practice take over._

 _The dance had gone well, the twizzles were a bit slower than they had been in practice, but it was nothing the judges would penalise them too heavily for. She was feeling great after it. They waved to the people cheering and took their bows._

 _"I think we did okay." She whispered to Wells as they skated back to the edge of the rink. Abby and Thelonious greeted them off the ice, handing over their skate guards._

 _"Good job, honey." Abby said, putting her arm around Clarke as she led her over to the score booth. People gaped as they took in the sight of Abby Griffin stood at the side of the rink._

 _"I should have known that the princess was an actual princess." Came a gruff voice from her right. Clarke whirled around to see the same asshole as before now looking over at her and Wells with his arms crossed over his chest._

 _"Come on, Bell." A young woman with straight brown said, grabbing his arm. He clenched his jaw and shot Clarke a glare before turning to follow the brunette._

 _"Who was that?" Wells asked._

 _"Just some asshole I met in the corridor." Clarke said, watching as they made their way towards the edge of the rink._

 _"Well, that asshole is Bellamy Blake." Thelonious filled in. Clarke turned to look at him, raising a brow. "He skates with his sister, Octavia."_ _ **Oh, I know**_ _, Clarke thought. She'd heard of the Blake siblings, apparently, they were the next big thing. Clarke opened her mouth to say something but the officials were ready to release their score._

 _Clarke took her seat next to Wells and felt him grip her hand._

 ** _Short Dance:_** _60.57_ _ **Free Dance:**_ _102.60_ _ **Total:**_ _163.17_

 _The celebration of a season personal best was short lived. The Blake siblings took to the ice and the whole rink went quiet. Clarke watched from the side of the rink as they glided across the ice, each twizzle and lift perfectly synchronised and choreographed. Watching them was like watching a ballroom pair. Clarke let out a breath in wonder and she could feel their chances at winning this year's nationals (and making it to the Olympics) slimming with each second they spent on the ice._

 _They came to a stop in the centre of the ice and Bellamy had the cheek to smirk right at her as they took their bows, his dark gaze challenging her to react. She huffed and scowled at him before turning around and marching towards the changing rooms._

Clarke shook the memory from her mind – it was two years ago, and she needed a dance partner if she was going to carry on skating. Before she could back out of it, she pressed the call button and bit her lip, hoping Marcus wasn't busy.

"Hi, Clarke!" He answered and she smiled.

"Hey Marcus, thanks for getting back to me." She replied.

* * *

Clarke took a deep breath before shutting off the engine of her Lexus. She grabbed her training bag and made her way into the training centre.

She felt herself settle a bit once she was inside the familiar building, she'd spent almost every day of the past five years inside this building, even the smell of the floor polish was comforting. The training facility at Boston was her first choice for where she wanted to move her training to permanently. They'd been very accommodating, allowing her to train at hectic hours and use their extra dance rooms whenever she wanted. It was only later that Clarke found out her mother had called ahead and organised everything, much to Clarke's chagrin.

She liked the familiarity of the Skating Club of Boston though, and luckily Bellamy had been willing to meet her here for their meeting. It felt weird to meet with a potential partner. She'd started skating with Wells when she was five, just because they were in the same classes together. They'd been a good match, and then he'd injured his knee a couple of years ago. The injury was quite bad, his knee was shattered in eight places after a skiing accident while on holiday. Wells has taken a few months out to recover, but the damage was too bad and his doctors told him he'd never skate again. He'd tried to come back but his knee seized up painfully any time he entered the cold room of the rink.

After Wells, Clarke hadn't needed to look for a partner. They all came flocking to her after Wells' story was plastered on the news (her being and Griffin and him a Jaha, it was hot news for the gossip columns). She had calls, texts and emails from almost every single coach and agent in the northern hemisphere. One dancer wanted her to move to Paris to train, which was tempting, but her roots were in Boston, and then Finn had waltzed into her life. They'd trained for months, working on technique and choreography, and it was going well. Clarke felt really confident that they were going to ace the competitions and that they really could win these competition, and maybe even the Olympics.

Clarke pushed her feelings towards Finn away. Today wasn't about him, it was about her, and her potential new dance partner. At the thought of Bellamy, she felt a stab in her chest. They'd been rivals for years, his skating partners changing at almost every competition after Octavia quit ice dancing. She tried to remind herself of the last woman she saw him dancing with – was it Roma? Bree? Gina? She couldn't remember. She hoped Bellamy would stick around, they didn't have time to be looking for new partners; competitions started in a few months and she didn't want to have to switch partners for the third time in two years.

Clarke opened the doors to the ice rink and shrugged on her fleece. She felt the chill touch her face and she felt a small smile grow on her face at the familiar sensation. She felt at home.

Her smile faltered when she walked over to Marcus. He was talking to whom Clarke could only assume was Bellamy. She hadn't seen him in over a year, and he'd changed. His shoulders looked broader and more muscular, clearly deciding to bulk up for this season. He'd not bothered with the gel in his hair today, letting his dark curls hang loose around his face. Clarke thought he looked good, from a purely standpoint, of course.

"You're late." Bellamy said, raising an eyebrow at her. Any nice feelings she felt towards him were quashed and she rolled her eyes.

"Traffic was bad." She explained curtly, moving to the benches to put her skates on.

Bellamy rolled his eyes before making his way towards the ice.

Clarke checked the knots on her laces once last time before stepping out. She made her way towards where Bellamy and Marcus were stood.

"Okay," Marcus said, holding a clipboard (Clarke didn't ask). "Just do a few laps together to warm up, then we'll see."

Clarke nodded and looked towards Bellamy. He held out his hand and she begrudgingly took it.

* * *

To say Bellamy was surprised when Kane called him was an understatement. Last he'd heard, Clarke was training with Finn Collins, and things were going well. He didn't make an effort to keep up with her training, but it was difficult not to when it was all over the papers every time she took a step outside her house.

She waltzed into the ice rink with a small smile on her face and Bellamy refrained from rolling his eyes. Not only was she fifteen minutes late, but she didn't even look to be sorry about it.

He might have snapped at her, but she deserved it, he told himself.

"Just do a few laps together." Kane had said.

He held out his hand for Clarke. Despite their differences, he really did need a new skating partner. He'd skated with Octavia for years, even won at the Olympics together, and he still had yet to find someone he gelled with as well as her. Roma had been easy to dance with, but she lacked the chemistry that ice dance required. He thought he'd been on to something good with Gina, but she'd told him from the start that she was only skating as a hobby and he respected that.

If he wanted to get ready for competing properly and make it to skate at the Olympics he really needed a new partner as soon as possible, no matter how stuck up and annoying she was.

They started off with a simple waltz, Bellamy fell into the comfortable rhythm of the dance and Clarke followed without falter. He didn't allow himself to be impressed just yet, these were just the basics.

He took a quick turn and she moved quickly to meet his change without even faltering. He smiled inwardly, goddamnit this girl was good.

They came to a stop next to Kane and Clarke quickly detached her hands from Bellamy's.

"That was good." Marcus said encouragingly, scribbling things down. Clarke smiled across at Bellamy and he nodded in return.

"Okay, now onto more of the technical parts." Kane said as he continued to scribble things down.

He sent them off skating again, this time making them weave around one another. Marcus moved out of the way and allowed them to take up more of the rink. Clarke matched her pace to Bellamy's easily. Clarke let herself forget about who she was skating with and focussed on the feeling, they moved so well together and she felt herself smiling as they came out of their last set of twizzles.

Clarke had never felt so attuned to a skating partner before, and it felt amazing. She didn't even need to think about what to do next because she'd already anticipated his next move. They flowed well on the ice together. Before the practice was even over Clarke knew she'd found her new partner, despite how much of an ass he was.

* * *

Practices picked up and soon enough, Clarke was spending almost eight hours a day training, most of the time with Bellamy and Marcus. Much of her training with Finn had been just them in isolation, so the constant critique from Bellamy and Marcus was an odd adjustment to make. After their initial training session, Kane had deemed them a perfect match (Clarke wasn't sure _perfect_ was the word she'd use, but they definitely worked well together), now they just had to work on making sure their personalities stopped clashing. Which was easier said than done.

If Clarke thought Bellamy was annoying on the ice, he was ten times worse off the ice. After their initial meeting, Marcus had drawn up an extensive training plan, including her new diet, gym activities and practice times. Marcus had insisted on two hours of dance training off ice a day. Clarke could honestly say they were her least favourite hours of the day. Bellamy liked to nit-pick every single thing she did wrong on the ice, from her posture to how pointed her toes were, and he was just as infuriating in the dance studio. Every time her steps faltered, he'd catch her eyes in the mirror and make a snide comment and throw the "princess" title back in her face. She tried to rise above it and ignore him, but he'd wormed his way under her skin and he knew it. Every time she rolled her eyes or huffed in response she'd catch him smirking smugly in the mirror before he started the track again.

Marcus insisted that if they were on the ice they had to be together, often making them just skate laps to get used to skating in complete synchronisation. He was slowly pushing them into trying some new manoeuvres together. They were good at the manoeuvres separately, but were having difficult coordinating with each other.

"You're skating too far to the left." He said as they rejoined hands after the spin sequence.

"Well, after you hit me in the side last time, forgive me if I'm cautious." Clarke snapped as she turned into him.

"Look princess," he said as they slowed down. "That was an accident, but if we're going to skate together you're going to have to trust me." Clarke rolled her eyes and they came to an abrupt stop.

"I'm trying," She said honestly. "But you know it's not that simple."

They made their way over to the side of the rink where Marcus was standing. His mouth was set in a grim line that Clarke didn't like the look of. Every time he gave her that look she felt like a school kid being told off by a teacher.

"The spins were good." Marcus commented as they stopped next to the wall. "But you two need to work on whatever issue this is if you're going to work together properly." He gestured between the two of them. Clarke stifled a groan, knowing where this was going.

"In fact," Marcus continued with a small smile. "We're changing training for the day; you two are going to build trust with some good old-fashioned trust exercises."

This time, Clarke could not hold back her groan. She looked over at Bellamy to see his lip quirk up before he set his jaw back to a grimace. She met his gaze and flashed him a fake smile.

Kane's trust exercises were just as Bellamy had expected. They spent hours catching each other from platforms, or _trustfalls_ as Kane was calling them. Then he made them lead each other around the rink blindfolded. That was by far the worst one, Clarke was clinging to his arm and he was pretty sure she left scars from where her nails dug in. His blindfolded lap wasn't much better, they fell over more times than he cared to count and tripped over each other's feet. By the end of the day they were still snapping at each other and Bellamy didn't feel like they'd made any progress, if anything they disliked each other more (which he hadn't thought possible at the start of the day). Plus, they'd just wasted a day they could have been training.

Feeling defeated Bellamy headed back to his apartment to get an early night. He switched in the TV and was ready to settle in to a new history documentary when his phone lit up.

 ** _Princess  
_** _Hey, are you busy?_

 ** _Bellamy Blake  
_** _It's a bit early for booty calls isn't it princess?_

 ** _Princess_** _  
You're gross.  
No, I've got an idea for the trust exercises. _

**_Bellamy Blake_** _  
If you make me do one more trust fall I swear I'm quitting._

 ** _Princess_** _  
Don't worry I've still not recovered from you dropping me!  
Are you at your apartment?_

 ** _Bellamy Blake_** _  
Yes.  
This still sounds like a booty call…_

Clarke send a series of emojis. Bellamy frowned at his phone as he tried to work out what the peach emoji was supposed to be, before deciding he probably didn't even want to know.

Ten minutes later there was a knock on his apartment door. He opened the door to see Clarke stood in her leggings and T shirt from training, her hair thrown up into a messy bun and a bottle of whiskey in her hand.

"Ready to build some trust?" She said with a grin. Bellamy raised a brow but turned to the side to let her past.

"Is it really a good idea to be drinking when we're in training?" He asked as she stepped into his apartment.

"Early training," she replied with a smirk. "Besides, we're not getting anywhere with Marcus' trust exercises so we might as well give this a shot."

"And what is _this_ Princess?" He asked, leading her to the kitchen.

"Truth or dare." She said in a matter of fact manner, placing the whiskey down on the table.

"Aren't we a little old for that?" He asked with a smirk. Clarke rolled her eyes.

"That's what the alcohol is for," she explained. "I've changed the rules slightly; every time we ask a question we drink, and if we don't want to answer it we chug."

"And you think this will build trust?" He asked. Clarke shrugged.

"It's worked before." She didn't elaborate and Bellamy didn't ask. He thought it over before shrugging back at her.

"Where did you get the whiskey?" He said as he poured them each a glass.

"Is that your question?" She teased. He rolled his eyes and they clinked their glasses.

"Wells and I stole it from his Dad's office a few years ago." She admitted. Bellamy's eyebrows shot up as he took his sip. This was not what expected from the girl who followed each and every rule to the last letter.

After a few questions they fit into a rhythm easily. Bellamy learnt that Clarke hated wearing trousers to skate in, saying they made her legs look too small. He admitted to being the one to over-gel his hair despite objections from Octavia, his coach, and their costume designer. She filled their glasses up every time they needed filling and before long they were both feeling the buzz of the alcohol. At some point they'd moved to his sitting room; the TV was still on but neither were watching it. They lay on opposite ends of the couch, in a relaxed manner.

"What's your Olympic ritual?" He asked before taking a sip.

"Huh?" She asked, lifting her head up from the couch to give him a questioning look.

"You know," he explained, gesturing vaguely with his hand. "Like how Serena Williams always wears the same socks throughout a tournament." He explained.

"Oh," she replied, thinking it over. "Well, I don't know. I've never been to the Olympics before." She admitted quietly. Bellamy's eyes widened, but Clarke didn't see, she was watching the TV screen, lost in thought.

"Well, I'm glad I get to be your first." He knocked her leg with his foot and winked at her. She rolled her eyes and bit her lip to hide her smile.

"You're gross." She said with a laugh.

"Does it make you feel better that you'll be my last?" He asked and Clarke's eyes widened slightly. He'd not admitted it to Kane yet, but he knew he was getting ready to retire. Clarke huffed a laugh before taking a drink.

"My turn?" She asked and he nodded. "How come you don't skate with Octavia anymore?"

"Straight to the point," he said with a smirk and she shrugged. "After our mom died she just lost interest, said she couldn't face going back on the ice again without her being there to watch." He told her honestly, looking down at his glass. He tried not to think about it too much, because he knew exactly what Octavia meant. It was difficult to face competitions, knowing that his mother should have sat in the front row waiting for him to get off the ice, only to turn and see she wasn't there.

"I lost interest for a while," she admitted quietly as she sat up to take her drink. He looked up at her and she shot him a sad smile. "Skating was my dad's passion, much more than my mom's. He was the one that took me to all the practices and competitions." She drained her glass and lay her head back on the cushions of the couch.

"After he died I just didn't want to skate anymore. Every time I stepped onto the ice, I was reminded of him, you know?" She looked over at him and he nodded. She took a deep breath and looked back up at the ceiling. "And then one day I just couldn't shake the feeling of needing to skate, I tried to ignore it for weeks, but it wouldn't go. So, I went to the skate rink where he used to take me and I just skated for hours." Tears welled in her eyes and Bellamy forced himself to sit up, despite his somewhat drunken state. "And it just felt like coming home."

He leant forward and tentatively reached out and took her hand. Her gaze snapped to his and she gave him a smile, one of the only genuine ones he'd seen from her. She squeezed his hand and he smiled back.

"Your turn." She said with a smile, wiping her tears away before they could fall. She made no effort to let go of his hand, and neither did he. He smiled and shook his head, he was going to get whiplash from how quickly she jumped from topic to topic.

"What happened with Collins?" He asked, reaching for his glass with his free hand. Clarke rolled her eyes.

She recounted the story of Finn thinking he'd cancelled his contract, and searching for a new skating partner, only to find out that his original contract was still standing, and him searching for a new partner meant immediate disqualification. Bellamy took a drink and grinned.

"How did you even find him?" He asked, stifling a laugh.

"He found me," she said and pointed to her empty glass. "It's not your turn, anyway." She stuck her tongue out at him. He dropped her hand to pour her another glass.

"Thank you," she said before taking a swig. "How did you meet Marcus?"

Bellamy smiled as he looked down at his glass, swirling the liquid aorund.

"Octavia really wanted to skate when she was about six, but my mom didn't trust her to go to practice on her own. We used to take three buses to get to the rink on Saturdays." He smiled at the memory and Clarke watched as the light form the TV danced across his face.

"I didn't want to skate originally, but the I watched Octavia fall over every week for a month and I decided I was going to learn so I could catch her when she fell." Clarke smiled at the image of a twelve-year-old Bellamy rushing to learn to aid his sister.

"Eventually we got good, and the team wanted us to compete, but we didn't have a coach. My mum and Marcus went to school together, and she called him. He agreed to train us for free, because he knew we couldn't afford it." Bellamy looked down at their joined hands. Clarke was absentmindedly drawing patterns into Bellamy's palm as she listened to his story. They sat in silence for a while, both deep in thought.

"He's a good man." She said finally, he hummed in agreement. Clarke continued to trace patterns on his palm and Bellamy felt jolt of electricity every time she did. It was weird, he thought, he'd held her hand hundreds of times in the past few days during practice, and they'd found themselves in some rather awkward positions to say they'd only formally met less than a week ago, but this felt more intimate than half the lifts Kane made them practice.

They both dragged themselves to practice the next morning, Clarke grumbled to herself that she'd never drink again and Bellamy huffed a laugh. She met his gaze and bit her lip to contain her smile. _Yeah_ , she thought, _they were gonna be just fine_.

"Do I need to remind you two about drinking excessively?" Marcus said as they approached the rink.

"I think it was just a one-time thing." Bellamy replied with a lopsided smile, he glanced over at Clarke to see she was smiling too. Marcus raised an eyebrow but dropped the topic as they made their way onto the ice.

Their practice that day was the best it had been since they started, despite how awful they both felt. They both promised themselves they'd never drink that much before practice again, but the grins on their faces at sticking the dance sequences was enough to make it worth it.

* * *

"I need you to fill in these forms and get them to me by the end of the week." Marcus said as he handed them each a large envelope. Clarke nodded as she pulled her skates off. With competitions coming up soon, they each needed to get their insurances sorted and declare they were fit for competing. Clarke remembered how long the process took from when she'd skated with Wells and so getting these forms sorted was important. She slid them into her bag and stood up.

She said her goodbyes to Bellamy and Marcus and made her way out of the arena. Clarke loved skating and she was really enjoying skating with Bellamy, but getting into the routine of practicing six days a week again was wearing her out. She made her way home, already looking forward to a long shower, or perhaps a bath to help soak her aching muscles.

She stepped out of her bedroom in her pyjamas and Clarke felt herself relax as she made her way into the living room. She pulled out the forms Marcus had given them and sat down to fill them out. Just as she took the cap off her pen, a knock sounded on her front door. Frowning, she got up to answer it. Not many people knew where she lived, and even then, almost all of them called ahead before dropping on her doorstep.

She opened the door to see Finn Collins stood on her doorstep. Clarke allowed herself a moment of shock before composing herself.

"Finn, what are you doing here?" She asked.

"I need to talk to you." He replied. She knew Finn wouldn't leave and so stepped aside, somewhat begrudgingly.

He sat down on her couch and she sat down on the armchair.

"I found a loophole." He said, looking over at her with an excited glint in his eyes. Her brows knitted together.

"What do you mean?" She asked, confusion crossing her features.

"We can skate together again." He told her and her eyes widened.

"Finn…" she started, but he cut her off.

"Clarke, I couldn't skate with you because of my contract with Raven." He said, turning his body towards hers and leaning forward in his seat excitedly. "But she said she's skating in the womens singles now."

Clarke furrowed her brow, Finn carried on.

"She dropped our contract." He stated and realisation dawned on Clarke. "I'm no longer disqualified." He grinned across at her before moving to crouch in front of her.

"We can still skate together." He said in a quiet voice – almost a whisper. He took her hand in his.

A couple of months ago, if Clarke had the chance to skate with Finn again, she would have done so in a heartbeat. But now, she couldn't imagine taking to the ice with anyone other than Bellamy, there was something there – a spark, maybe – that just hadn't been there with Finn. They'd come so far in the past few weeks; she considered him a friend, and Clarke never let her friends down.

"Finn, we can't," she said, removing her hand from his grasp. "I'm skating with Bellamy now."

"Bellamy Blake?" He asked and she nodded, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"But Clarke…" his smile faltered. "We really had something."

"I'm sorry, Finn," Clarke said. "I decided to skate with him, and I can't go back on my word now."

Finn nodded, his mouth set at a grim line. Finn wasn't the most loyal of ice dance partners, but he knew that this was important to Clarke. He stood from his position in front of Clarke, she followed him.

"Well, good luck at the championships." He said as he turned back towards her at the doorstep.

"You too." She replied, pulling him in for a quick hug.

* * *

Really, Clarke should have seen this coming. After the media jumped on the Finn/Raven/Clarke scandal, she should have known the paparazzi would follow Finn to her house last night. Still, the headline " ** _GRIFFIN & COLLINS TO REKINDLE PARTNERSHIP?_**" was not something she wanted to see plastered on almost every newspaper as she drove to practice. Her phone was buzzing every two seconds and she was tempted to throw it out of the car window.

She pulled into the familiar parking lot and Clarke could see unfamiliar cars and trucks taking up many of the spaces. She sighed as she recognised the paparazzi teams making their way towards her car. Shoving on a hoodie, she quickly exited the cars and all but ran through the throngs of people crowding around her as she crossed the parking lot.

When she was inside she allowed herself to take a breath, but that too was short lived. As she rounded the corner into the meeting room that Marcus had booked she stopped dead in her tracks. Marcus was facing away from the door, angrily snapping into his phone, but that wasn't what upset Clarke. Bellamy was sat with a murderous look on his face; his jaw was clenched and his arms were crossed across his chest. He'd never looked at her like that before, even when they first started training together, and it hurt.

"Come to tell us the good news?" He growled and Clarke felt her stomach turn. He flung one of the papers across the desk, a picture of Clarke and Finn hugging pasted across the front page. Bellamy stood up from the desk as Marcus cut off his call.

"I hope you make each other very happy." He said in a growl as he shoved past her to get out of the door. Clarke stood with her mouth agape, unsure of what just happened. Marcus stared at her and she flung into action.

"I'm not switching partners." She blurted and Marcus raised a brow at her.

"Clarke," he said tentatively. "This doesn't look good." She groaned and put her bag down, reaching for the newspaper.

"He said he'd found a loophole," she explained. "But I told him I'm staying with Bellamy." Marcus nodded, needing no further explanation.

"I'll work on the press," Marcus instructed, taking his phone back out of his pocket. "You go and get Bellamy back."

Clarke nodded before taking off out of the room.

Clarke raced down the corridor, hoping to catch Bellamy before he left – she didn't want to have this discussion in the parking lot with all the press teams hovering. She chanced a glance out of one of the windows and saw that his car was still there, so at least he was still in the building. She rushed down the corridor and started searching rooms where Bellamy might be.

With each minute that passed Clarke found herself getting more and more anxious, she needed Bellamy, not just as a skating partner, but as a friend. She hadn't lied to Finn when she said she couldn't imagine skating with anyone else, they just fit so well together. She really needed to sort this out before she lost him forever.

Clarke rounded the corner to the changing rooms and she mentally kicked herself for not thinking of it sooner. Whenever she was angry or upset the one thing she wanted to do was skate, it helped her work through her feelings and get some of the pent-up energy out. Of course, Bellamy would be the same.

She rounded the corner and she could heard the familiar scrape of the blades on the ice. She stood in the doorway watching as Bellamy did jump after jump perfectly. Their routine didn't allow for too many jumps, but that didn't mean he couldn't do them. Clarke mused that Bellamy would be more than capable to go on to do the mens single program. That thought made her heart twist slightly, she wondered if that's what he was thinking as he came out of the triple axel. The landings were heavier than usual and Bellamy's posture was not as relaxed as usual. Even from here she could see his jaw was set and if she got up close she could probably be able to see the chords in his neck raised.

Sighing, she made her way back into the changing room and put her skates on.

"What did that ice ever do to you?" She asked as she skated towards him slowly. He came out of his spin and slowed to a stop.

"It's not the ice I'm angry with." He said with a clench of his jaw. Clarke tentatively skated towards him, he didn't make an effort to move away from her and she took it as a good sign.

"If you keep sticking landings like that you'll wreck the ice, and then we'll be out of practice for months." She said with a teasing smile. He narrowed his eyes at her and shot her a questioning look.

"Bellamy," she came to a stop in front of him, he was within touching distance but she let her arms hang loose at her sides. "I told Finn "no." The papers have jumped on this story, but I'm sticking with you. I can't imagine going to the Olympics with anyone other than you." She looked down at her hands, she'd neglected gloves and the cold was biting into them.

"I trust you." She said firmly, looking up to meet his gaze. "I don't want to skate with anyone else." Bellamy's eyes widened at the admission, and his lips parted in silent realisation.

"I'm sorry, Clarke," he said, taking her cold hands in his. "I should have believed you. I just freaked out at the thought of you going back to skate with Finn. I know the crowds like him better than me."

"Maybe," she squeezed his hand lightly. "But I don't."

She smiled up at him and he gave her a small smile back. She was about to pull away and get back to training when he wrapped his arms around her. She stood shocked for a second before wrapping her arms around his middle. He gently caressed her hair and she tried not to be weird and sniff his neck, if Bellamy noticed he didn't say anything.

When he pulled away she missed the contact. She was not dressed to be on the ice, especially since she hadn't done any warm ups like Bellamy had. The smile he shot her was enough to make it worth it though. She reclaimed his hand as they skated back towards the exit, ready to get started on the day's practice.

* * *

 ** _December - 2017_**

Clarke looked down at her hands and started picking with her nails, trying to distract herself from the nerves that were building their way up her chest. She took a calming breath and closed her eyes. A warm hand covered hers and her eyes snapped open. She looked down to see Bellamy's hand holding hers still. She glanced over at him and shot him a thankful smile.

They'd come a long way, she mused. Two years ago, she'd have never thought she'd be able to be in the same room as Bellamy Blake without a fight breaking out, never mind skate _with_ him. Yeah, the first few months had been rough, but after everything with Finn (or the _Finncident_ as Marcus took to calling it) they'd been stronger than ever.

Practices became easier, with less biting comments. They learned to trust one another completely, Clarke not even having to look to make sure Bellamy would catch her. He still called her Princess but it was with less bite now, with an affectionate tone if anything. They still argued over details, like which songs they should skate to this season ("We're not skating to Despacito, Clarke", "Oh yeah, because Welcome to the Jungle was such a great idea!"). But all in all, they'd grown closer and Clarke was happy to have Bellamy in her life.

Marcus shot them a nod to say that they were on in a couple of minutes. Bellamy took her hand and pulled her up. They made their way to the edge of the rink and he wrapped his arms around her. If anyone was watching, it probably looked like an intimate embrace. It was actually a new technique Marcus had found to help them synchronise their breathing and heartbeats before skating. Clarke felt her face heat up and she wrapped her arms around Bellamy. They were used to being close on the ice, but the hugs before they went on stage just felt more close and intimate than anything they did on the ice. She took a deep breath to match Bellamy's. His warm breath touched her neck and she shivered, it was just a natural reaction to the change in temperature, she told herself. It definitely had nothing to do with the close proximity of her skating partner, because that would be unprofessional.

Somewhere in between all the practices and the late-night texts, Clarke had developed a bit of a crush on Bellamy. She'd never admit it out loud to anyone, but she couldn't deny the way her heart would do a little flip every time he beamed at her when they landed one of their lifts, or the way her chest tightened when he pressed a kiss to the side of her head after they finished one of their dances. She'd never reacted this way when Wells touched her waist during dance – her skin feeling like it was alight as they skated around the rink during practice. He'd become her closest friend in the past few months, the one she talked to about anything; whether it was to complain about how annoying their diet was, or if it was something more serious like the doubts she had about her ability. He was always there to joke with her if she needed, or to give her an encouraging inspirational speech.

He rubbed her back and she tightened her grip around him.

"It's time, Princess." He said right into her ear. She tried to stop herself form shivering. She dropped her arms from around him and stepped out of the embrace, immediately missing the contact. He gripped her hand and they stepped out on to the rink.

When Marcus deemed them ready to start Olympics training, he'd put together a whole new team or trainers, physiotherapists, and choreographers. Their head choreographer was the famous Nathan Miller, three-time national winner for the US. Miller and Bellamy bonded almost instantly, Miller was quiet but had the same dry sense of humour as Bellamy. She liked Miller a lot, and she loved the dance he'd helped them put together for this season. One of the first things Miller pointed out to Marcus after seeing Clarke and Bellamy training together was their chemistry. Marcus had jumped on this and Miller had worked to make their dances sexy, with lots of intimate lifts and positions that made Clarke blush the first few times they had to skate them. She was worried they would be told to tone it down for international performances, but that was a worry for another day. Now all that mattered was getting through the next two days of competitions so they could actually make it to the Olympics.

Bellamy gave her hand a quick squeeze before letting her hand go so they could get into their starting position. She grinned across at him and felt the arena go completely quiet. Clarke felt all the eyes on her but she only cared about the way Bellamy's eyes were boring into hers.

The music started up and they went into autopilot. Their first few moves went without fault and Clarke turned to face Bellamy, his grin made her heart flutter. He wrapped her arms around her waist and she reached up to caress his face as they sped up. The crowd's cheers fell away and she looked up into Bellamy's eyes. Everywhere his skin touched hers felt like it burned, Clarke tried to focus on the dance but she felt her face heat up slightly.

They pulled apart for their step sequence and when they rejoined hands Clarke squeezed his hand. She jumped without looking over to Bellamy and he caught her easily, he flipped her body around for the first of their lifts. This was one of Miller's favourite moves, and one of Clarke's too, not that she'd admit it. It was one of their most intimate positions, finding Bellamy's head in between her thighs. She heard the crowds cheer again as they glided across the ice, but Clarke could feel the blood rushing to her face, partially from being upside down, but feeling Bellamy's ragged breath on her inner thigh was making her head spin.

He lifted her around for the spin before she landed back on her skates, closer than before. Clarke could feel almost every curve of Bellamy's body and it was making her slightly lightheaded. He lunged forwards and she went with him. She threw her head back in time with the music and she felt Bellamy leaning forward into her. His face trailed up her neck, as per Miller's routine. Clarke felt his lips graze her pulse point on her neck, pressing a featherlight kiss there, and her breathing hitched. _That was new_ , she thought as they came out of the manoeuvre. Distracted by the blood rushing through her body, a blush creeping up her neck and face, her steps faltered slightly as they came to a stop.

They went through their last few moves, but Clarke couldn't pay attention; she was relying on her body to take her through the motions, her head was still spinning from the impromptu neck kiss. Her skin still felt like it was on fire from where Bellamy's lips had been moment ago as they came to a stop. The crowd roared. Clarke turned to face Bellamy and pulled him in for a hug.

They made their way over to the side of the rink where they were greeted by a stern looking Marcus. Clarke felt herself blush even more. He didn't comment but she knew he'd bring it up at tomorrow's practice, if not before.

Clarke and Bellamy were silent as they sat down to hear their scores. She gripped his hand tightly, knowing that her falter had probably cost them the winning score. They just needed enough points to make it to the Olympics and then they could pick themselves back up.

 ** _Technical elements:_** _34.91_ _ **Presentation:**_ _33.97_ _ **Deductions:**_ _-1.00_ _ **Total:**_ _67.88_

Even with the deductions it was still a good score. Marcus clapped Bellamy on the back and Miller wrapped his arm around Clarke. She smiled over at her team and gave Bellamy's hand a squeeze. It wasn't what they'd wanted, but they still had a chance. They just needed to skate with their lives tomorrow.

Clarke packed her skates back into her bag and stood up. She turned to leave and found Bellamy leaning against the doorway.

"Hey," she said as she walked up to him. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah," he said. She made to move past him. "Clarke, wait." He placed a gentle hand on her arm, her skin felt like it was tingling where he touched her, and she tried not to let it show on her face. She looked up to look at him and his face softened.

"I'm sorry, about what happened out there." He started fidgeting with his strap on his duffel bag and Clarke frowned.

"You're sorry?" She asked. "Bellamy, I'm the one who messed the steps up."

"Yeah but-" He started.

"No Bell," she said, placing her hand over his. "It's fine. We'll bring the points up tomorrow." She smiled at him and he opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it.

"Just warn me next time?" She teased. He smiled back and she removed her hand from over his. They turned to leave together and she tried not to overanalyse the kiss or the apology.

The next day was one of their most stressful competitions. They were the last ones to skate their free dance and Clarke felt all her nerves building. Ontari and John were the last to skate before them. They were an odd mix and Clarke joked with Bellamy about how they looked like they were trying to kill each other with their glares, they made Clarke and Bellamy's early feud look tame. They were a very high energy pair and Clarke felt her nerves twist again. Marcus placed a hand on her shoulder, she looked up to see him giving her a reassuring smile and she shot him a thankful smile back.

Ontari span around, ready to do their last lift, only for her footing to stumble. Clarke watched as she seemed to fall in slow motion, Murphy trying to pull her back up and their sequence losing its timing. They tried to recover but the damage was done. They'd lose points for that. Clarke felt sad for them, she knew how the pressure could get to the skaters, but she was thankful that her and Bellamy would have some breathing room for their last dance.

After the hiccup at the short dance, Clarke was more prepared for the intimate moments required in their free dance. She played it up for the crowds and let her face portray every emotion she could. She let her eyes linger longer on Bellamy than she normally would, and threw her head back more dramatically than she had in practice. She wound her fingers up into Bellamy's dark curls and he beamed down at her as they came into their last few steps. Their sequence went amazingly and she was breathing heavily by the end of it. The music ended and he pulled her in for a tight hug. She laughed into his neck, they'd done it.

The crowds were cheering and she saw Marcus off to the side beaming and clapping. They both bowed to the crowds, Clarke felt triumph bubble in her chest. Bellamy wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she leant into the contact as they skated over to their team. Miller shot them both a thumbs up and she chuckled as they stepped off the ice. Marcus pulled her into a hug which she returned forcefully. After he let her go and moved to hug Bellamy she felt Miller pull her in for a hug. He clapped her lightly on back and whispered his congratulations.

They made their way to the scoring booth and Clarke held her breath as the scores were calculated. They just needed to beat 175.21.

 ** _Technical elements:_** _53.48_ _ **Presentation:**_ _55.17_ _ **Deductions:**_ _0.00_ _ **Total:**_ _108.65_

 ** _Short Dance:_** _67.88_ _ **Free Dance:**_ _108.65_ _ **Total:**_ _176.53_

Clarke felt relief wash over her as she sagged into Bellamy's side. She felt him drop a kiss to her head and she looked up to him. She beamed at him. They were going to the Olympics!

"We did it!" She exclaimed, pulling him in for a hug. His arms tightened around her and Clarke felt her heart soar again. Marcus and Miller joined in on the hug and Clarke was pressed into Bellamy even more than before. She laughed into his chest and she felt, rather than heard, him do the same.

* * *

 ** _February – 2018_**

Somehow, by some miracle, Clarke and Bellamy had skated their way to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. It didn't feel real at the opening ceremony, the two of them swept up in the celebrations and excitement.

They breezed their way through the team skating event; Raven turned out to be even better in the singles skating than she was in ice dance, scoring an almost perfect score, and smashing the world record. Raven's high score meant they had some of the pressure taken off them and they skated well - earning a solid 174.76, enough to win team USA the gold medal in the teams. Standing on the podium next to her closest friends felt amazing.

A gold medal around their necks also meant her and Bellamy were crowded by paparazzi once again. This time it was worse though, instead of just the US papers and magazines taking pictures and asking questions, it was now the entire world. Apparently, people across the world loved Clarke and Bellamy skating together, and some had even started "shipping" them. She'd turned her TV off after that, her face red and Bellamy laughing as they played their dances from the team event again.

Winning a gold medal had left her in an elated mood for the next few days. It didn't last as long as she'd like, and soon enough her nerves were setting in. Their score had been solid for the team event, but they needed to pull out all the stops if they wanted to take home the gold on their own.

The ice rink in the Gangneung Ice Arena had become familiar in the past few days; they'd practiced as much as possible and Bellamy knew almost every groove in the ice. He could count how many steps it would take to get around the edges and he could probably skate laps in his sleep. Winning gold in the team event felt amazing, he was so proud of the entire team and representing his country felt amazing. After he'd known how it felt to stand on that podium next to his best friend as she beamed to the crowd, he knew they had to achieve it again.

He wasn't sure exactly when Clarke came his best friend, but he was certain that she was. He confided everything in her, and spent almost every hour of the day with her. There was no one else he would rather be skating at the Olympics with, not even Octavia, and that thought scared him slightly.

He'd pushed himself in training, and in turn he'd egged Clarke on. They spent almost every waking hour on the ice practicing and Bellamy was almost certain they could do the routines in their sleep.

"Ready, Princess?" He whispered into her hair as they finished their breathing technique. She nodded into his neck and he pulled away. He grabbed her hand and they made their way onto the ice.

 _Now taking to the ice: Clarke Griffin and Bellamy Blake from the United States of America._

The crowd erupted into cheers and Bellamy couldn't keep his smile off his face, they were actually here at the Olympics, ready to skate for their country for the second time.

He brought Clarke's hand up to his lips and pressed a chaste kiss to her knuckles before letting her hand go. She shot him a questioning look but smiled nonetheless. He shrugged and sent her a small smile back. They stopped at the centre of the rink and took their starting positions.

When the music started Bellamy felt the excitement and energy bubble in his veins. He couldn't contain the smile on his face as he and Clarke twirled around the ice together.

All their practice had payed off and he didn't even need to think about the steps, he just let his body and his instincts take over. He tried not to let his mind wander too far when he lifted Clarke up, the last thing he wanted was to drop her. When it came to the lift that required her to put her legs on either side of his shoulders he closed his eyes, trying not to think of the connotations that came with the position. He felt his face heat up as some wolf whistles sounded throughout the arena.

When she landed from the lift he pulled her close, pressing his body into her small frame. She gripped his hair tighter than usual and he felt his heartrate pick up, he looked into her eyes as their foreheads pressed together and he could feel her warm breath on his lips. She flung her head back and he followed the movement, trailing his lips up her neck, and if his lips lingered a little too long on her neck, well he was just giving the crowd what they wanted. And they loved it, if the roaring in his ears was anything to go by, but that might have been his own blood roaring in his ears due to the way Clarke was looking at him as they came out of the dip.

They only had a few moves left and they executed them perfectly. He pulled Clarke against him for their final pose as the music ended. They were both breathing heavily and she sagged into him. He turned her around and pulled her into his chest. She huffed a breathless laugh into his neck, causing him to shiver slightly. He rubbed a palm up and down her back.

"Well done, Princess." He said as he tightened his grip.

"You too, Bellamy." She said breathlessly as she pulled away.

They took their bows and made their way over to their team. Marcus and Miller and the other members of the team crowded around to hug them once they'd got their skate guards on. Bellamy didn't start to catch his breath until they sat down in the booth to get their scores. Bellamy placed his hand around Clarke's shoulders and pressed a kiss to her cheek. She smiled over at him and reached across to squeeze his knee.

They waved at the cameras as they settled in front of them, but soon the screen lit up to let them know the scores would be announced soon. They turned their attention up and Bellamy felt Clarke's hand tighten on his knee as he held his breath.

 ** _Technical elements:_** _44.53_ _ **Presentation:**_ _39.14_ _ **Deductions:**_ _0.00_ _ **Total:**_ _83.67_

Bellamy crushed Clarke into his side as he heard everyone cheer. Kane clapped him on the back but Bellamy didn't even notice. Clarke was beaming up at him with a look of adoration. He was pretty sure his face reflected hers. He stood and lifted her up.

"And that's a season's best." Said the commentators. Bellamy didn't even care about the camera crews crowding around them. He spun Clarke around in a quick circle as she laughed into his neck and clung to his shoulders. He set he down and he laughed along with her. She had tears welling in her eyes and Bellamy felt his heart clench. He moved his hand up and cupped her cheek, wiping her tears away with his thumb so she didn't spoil her makeup.

"We did it, Princess." He whispered and she smiled up at him, her blue eyes sparkling with unshed tears and pure joy.

* * *

One of the things Bellamy was going to miss most from the Olympics was how comfy the beds were. He felt like he was sleeping on a cloud, and he was really going to miss this. He was musing over looking into buying one of the mattresses when Clarke came in through the door that joined their rooms. Apparently, all teams had adjoining rooms because no one thought that was weird.

"Hey," she said as she plopped down on the bed next to him. He tried not to tense up as she lay next to him, her body heat was radiating from her, causing his hairs to stand on end. "You ready to go over these training videos?" She asked.

Bellamy groaned. When Kane had told them they had the night off, he felt himself take a breath of relief. But in true Kane style, a "night off" actually meant "watch all your old performance videos" so they were ready for tomorrow.

He took his laptop out and hooked it up to the TV so they could watch all their videos. He sank back into the pillows at the head of the bed and Clarke settled back next to him, closer than before.

He tried to focus on their performances and think of things to change but he was too aware of Clarke on the bed next to him. He chanced a glance out of the corner of his eye and saw her brows were knitted together in concentration as she studied their video from the team event. He scolded himself and turned his attention back to the TV, trying to make himself focus. He couldn't cost them the gold medal at his last Olympics because he'd developed feelings for Clarke. His heart twisted at the thought of it being his last Olympics and not skating with Clarke again, but he pushed the thoughts away and watched as the video versions of themselves smiled at each other.

Clarke normally hated watching videos of herself, whether it was her skating or not. But Marcus was insistent that this would help them improve, and he'd been right. After watching almost every performance they'd ever done played back she got over the fact that it was her and Bellamy and just focused on the footwork and what needed to be improved.

She could feel Bellamy shuffle next to her and she looked up. His face was set in a concentrated stare. His brows creased as he watched them do their spins, she wanted to reach up and trace the crease with her hand, but stopped herself before she did. That sort of thing was okay on the ice when they were doing it for the crowd, but not here where it was just the two of them.

Clarke turned her attention back to the TV and felt herself frown. She watched as she smiled over at Bellamy as they skated around one another in slow motion. She knew that wasn't a fake smile, none of the emotions that she displayed on the ice were fake, but were Bellamy's?

" _These two just have so much chemistry together,"_ the commentator on the TV said. " _Sometimes you think they're so hot together they'll melt the ice."_ Clarke smiled and ducked her head to conceal her blush.

She cleared her throat and watched the clips over again. Eventually the clips finished and Clarke forced herself to take a deep breath. She hadn't actually payed attention to half the clips and she felt guilt settle in her stomach. These Olympics were a big deal to Bellamy (and her of course) and they might not win because she'd spent the evening lost in thought instead of concentrating.

It was dark outside when she sat up from the bed.

"What time is it?" Bellamy asked groggily. She looked down at her phone.

"Just after ten," she replied. "Wanna get room service?" She asked with a smirk.

"God, yes." He said, sitting up.

Marcus' diet plan meant they weren't allowed many treats, but Clarke and Bellamy cut themselves some slack, they had one dance left to perform so they were allowed to splurge on room service.

The food came up and they tucked in.

"Oh my god!" Clarke exclaimed, fork full of pasta halfway to her mouth. He looked over at her with a questioning look. She looked down at the screen on her phone and span it round so he could see.

It was her twitter feed full of gifs of her and Bellamy's performance from today. Someone had slowed down the clip of the dip with the neck kiss and made it into a gif, and it was gaining retweets and likes _fast_. Clarke's face heated up at Bellamy's eyes scanned the screen. His gaze slid back to hers and she felt heat pool in her lower abdomen at the intensity of his gaze. The joke she was going to make died on her lips and she lowered her phone back into her lap. Bellamy was still gazing back at her with a heated stare and Clarke felt herself blush. She cleared her throat and looked back down at her phone.

"They're saying we should tone down the free dance for PG – 13 audiences." She said quickly, picking at her food.

"Not gonna happen." He said quickly and she smirked over at him. She felt relief flood through her, it was too late to alter the dance now, but their practiced free dance was one of her favourites and she didn't want to change it.

After they finished their food they settled back onto the bed, ready to watch their training one more time before they settled in for the night. Clarke groaned as they watched their fumble at the nationals again and Bellamy stifled a laugh, nudging her with his elbow.

Exhaustion set in quickly after they had eaten. Skating had taken its toll on both of them today and Clarke felt herself drifting off at some point during the videos. She let her head rest on Bellamy's shoulder and before long she'd fallen asleep.

The click of the TV woke her up. Clarke startled awake and saw nothing but darkness.

"Hey," she heard Bellamy say groggily next to her. "Go back to sleep."

Clarke made to sat up, ready to leave to her own bed. Before she could move from the bed Bellamy's arm had wrapped around her middle and he was pulling her back to him.

"Stay?" He said tiredly. And who was she to deny him?

"Okay." She whispered back, lying down next to him.

He didn't remove his arm from around her waist and she allowed herself to settle into his side, her head on his chest. Bellamy's entire body was warm, as usual, and everywhere her touched her felt like it was on fire. Clarke wanted to stay awake to make the most of being this close to Bellamy in such a domesticated situation, but she was so tired. His breath tickled her hair and she sighed contently as she nestled into his chest. He sighed happily and wrapped his arms around her more tightly. Eventually she was lulled to sleep by his steady heartrate and his soft breath in her hair.

* * *

Clarke woke up to the annoying klaxon alarm Bellamy always used. She groaned and nestled further into his side, away from the noise. Bellamy heaved a sigh before moving away from her to reach over to turn it off. He flopped back down onto the bed next to her and Clarke suddenly felt awkward.

Sure, her and Bellamy had fallen asleep next to each other many times before, but that was usually on the bus home from practice, or on the sofa. They'd never shared a bed before, and waking up next to him felt intimate, like seeing a side of him she shouldn't be privy to. She rolled onto her side and he did the same so he was facing her. She wondered if they needed to talk about it.

She opened her mouth to think about broaching the topic when a loud knock came from the door.

"Training in half an hour, Bellamy." Marcus called. Clarke felt her face redden, if Marcus found them both in here his mind would jump to the wrong conclusion and he'd probably spend their last few training hours lecturing them on professionalism.

Bellamy smirked and shot her a wink, it seemed he was thinking the same thing. The wink made her heart flutter and she cleared her throat.

"I'll meet you downstairs." He said, reaching over to press a lingering kiss to her forehead. Clarke stayed frozen in the king-sized bed as Bellamy started his routine, exiting to his en suite. She was still lying flat, completely dazed, when she heard his shower start up.

She forced herself to get up. She didn't want Bellamy to see she hadn't moved at all, and she knew she wouldn't be able to deal with a mostly naked Bellamy. She made her way back to her own room. As soon as the door joining their rooms was closed she leant back against it and let out a shaky breath.

 _What the hell was that?!_ She thought. Bellamy kissed her cheek and her forehead all the time, but the way he kissed her just then, with his morning hair after they'd slept next to each other all night, was throwing her in a spin.

She shook her head, trying to rid herself of those thoughts and compose herself. She reminded herself of what Marcus would think, _they had to be professional, they were performing for the world and representing their country._ And she nearly succeeded, until she remembered the soft sigh Bellamy had let out as he fell asleep and she had to bite her lip to contain her smile.

* * *

After breakfast, Clarke was rushed off to go and get her make-up and costume ready. Bellamy's costume and make-up took far less time and so he had an hour or so to kill before going to get ready. He was tempted to tour some of the Olympic village, but he promised he'd take Clarke and he'd just feel guilty if he went without her.

So in the end, he made his way back to his hotel room. He lounged on the bed, it felt too big for just him now, he wished Clarke was with him. As he lay back into the pillows he got a whiff of her perfume from where she'd been sleeping and he felt himself smile slightly. _Oh, he was in deep_. He rolled his eyes at himself and pulled his phone out, trying to distract himself from his nerves. He had a couple of good luck texts form Octavia, which he responded to immediately.

Bellamy didn't use twitter much, only really to post about an upcoming competition or to chat to fans briefly, he actually only got twitter because Kane wanted them to be more approachable for fans. As soon as he opened the app his phone pinged multiple times with notifications form well-wishers and other Olympians. He spent a few minutes replying to his most recent tweets. When the fans saw he was online, all hell broke loose. His notification screen lit up with various messages, from people wishing him luck, to people begging him to _just marry Clarke already!_

He groaned and closed the app. It was bad enough that he was letting his feelings towards Clarke distract him during practice, he didn't need the entire world to point out that he was halfway in love with Clarke. He knew she didn't feel that way towards him, it was just for the dances.

Luckily, Bellamy didn't have to wallow in his unrequited feelings for too long, because soon enough it was time for him to head downstairs and get ready for their final dance. His breathing hitched at that. The thought of not skating with Clarke every day hurt him more than he cared to admit. The thought of Clarke skating with someone else almost knocked him sick. He shoved that thought away and told himself to cut it out. He didn't need to be thinking about this right before their last performance. There it was again, _last performance_ , it was just too, well, _final_. Bellamy locked the hotel door behind him and tried to clear his head, he'd overanalyse those thoughts later, when the chance of a gold medal wasn't resting on his shoulders.

When he and Octavia had started skating together, Aurora had always handmade their costumes. _There's no point buying them when I can make them for free_ , his mother had always said. For years, Bellamy had skated in bespoke suits with the cut resistant material carefully sewn into the fabric. Each stitch had been put in lovingly by his mother and Bellamy had never been more proud to skate than when he was wearing something his mother had spent months putting together. After she died, he had to rely on other tailors to make the costumes. The other tailors made scratchy costumes with messy stitches and he felt his spirits dampen every time he had to wear one of them.

The costume team Kane had put together were outstanding. Granted, they weren't as good as his mother, but they were far better than some of the other teams he'd worked with in the past. The costumes for the Olympics were special and Bellamy hadn't actually had chance to see Clarke in her new costume yet. She hadn't let up any information, telling him it was to be a surprise for the day. Some last-minute adjustments were made to his shirt and his light make-up was applied for the bright lights and cameras. Before he could even think too much about their dance, he was ready and they were needed on the rink side.

Bellamy made his way down the corridor and waited for Clarke at the doorway. He heard a door open down the corridor and turned to see her coming out of her dressing room. She was wearing a red dress with diamantes glittered across it. He unashamedly let his eyes trail over her body, the dress ended just below her knee and had a slit up the side so she could move her legs. His mouth went dry and he forced his gaze back up to her face. Her make-up was heavy around the eyes, like all the other women in the competition, but the rest of her face looked natural, _beautiful_ he thought. Bellamy noticed that her stylist had scraped her hair back into a bun. She looked beautiful and all the words died in his mouth as he came to stand before her.

"Ready?" She asked, her gaze teasing. He forced himself back into action; he couldn't stand around gaping at Clarke all day. He held out his arm and she took it, they made their way towards the rink.

"And you said I use too much hair product." He joked. She laughed lightly but it sounded forced.

"Why?" She asked when they stopped near the other teams. "Does it look bad? I told Charlotte not to put too much in." She reached up and brushed the non-existent flyaways from her face.

"Clarke," he said taking her hands away from her face. "I was kidding." She dropped his gaze and whispered an "oh." He reached up and tucked some hair behind her ear.

"You look beautiful." He said quietly. Her gaze slowly lifted to his and a blush slowly rose up her cheeks. He let his hand settle on her bare shoulder and he slowly traced his thumb on the side of her neck. He looked down at her in pure adoration and he knew he was kidding himself into thinking he could push his feelings about Clarke away.

Before he could lament on this, they were called away to do their warm up laps. Clarke took his hand and they made their way towards the ice together.

* * *

The only downside to winning first place in the short dance was that Clarke and Bellamy had to sit through all the other performances before they could do theirs. Clarke usually loved watching all the other couples skate, but today her nerves were ruining it for her. Every time she heard the scrape of the ice she jumped slightly, getting ready to take to the ice for their dance.

After the third time she started wringing her hands together, Bellamy pulled her into his chest.

"What are you doing?" She hissed. "It's not time for the breathing techniques yet." She felt him huff a laugh and she felt herself relax slightly. She didn't have to do this alone, Bellamy was here with her through the whole thing.

"Can I not just give you a hug, Clarke?" He asked as she let herself relax into his embrace. She smiled into his neck and she felt his breath hitch.

He traced random patterns on her bare back and Clarke felt herself shiver. She let her breathing calm down and her and Bellamy chatted quietly, whispering things to each other as the other pairs danced to their routines. Over his shoulder she could see Harper and Monty continue to skate around each other without fault, but Clarke pushed her worries down and focussed on the rise and fall of Bellamy's chest.

Marcus nodded at them over Bellamy's shoulder and she tightened her arms around him before pulling away from him.

They made their way onto the ice.

"Whatever happens," Bellamy said as they skated towards their start positions. "We're in this together." She nodded and squeezed his hand one last time before taking her position. Bellamy knelt in front of her in his starting position and Clarke couldn't stop the grin from spreading on her face as he looked up at her.

The thousands in the audience quietened down until it was near silent. The music started and they started moving. They relaxed into their routine and Clarke felt everything else melt into the background. All that she could focus on was Bellamy and the way her body responded to his; effortlessly and without hesitation. Clarke jumped and Bellamy's hands flew to her waist. He lifted her up and they entered their first lift perfectly.

Bellamy's grip tightened on her hands as skated around the side of the rink. She turned her body towards his and he pulled her towards him and into his embrace. Their feet worked in perfect synchronisation but Clarke could hardly focus on that when Bellamy's face was mere inches from her. She felt his laboured breaths fan across her face and she tried to suppress a shiver.

Her blood was roaring in her ears as she pulled his face closer, another one of Miller's favourite manoeuvres she recalled, and she felt his lips press against hers fleetingly. In a moment it was gone, a featherlight touch. He brought his forehead down against hers and Clarke found herself smiling into the embrace as they continued the rest of the dance.

During the final lift she actually looked out into the audience. Thousands of faces stared back at her in awe and it felt amazing. She beamed back at them and heard them cheer as they came to their final few parts of the dance. His hand trailed gently down her back as he took her down from the lift and Clarke felt like she was floating.

Bellamy let go of her and they each finished their steps and stopped in their finishing positions in perfect harmony.

The crowd roared and Clarke felt realisation wash over her. They had just skated at the Olympics. Bellamy moved the short distance between them and scooped her up in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed happily as he twirled her around. He cradled her head and Clarke felt his hand on her bare back again, she didn't think she'd ever get used to the feeling of Bellamy's hands on her skin, her skin still felt like it was on fire, just like the first time.

"You were amazing, Princess." He whispered in her ear and she pulled away slightly so she could look him in the eye.

" _We_ were amazing, Bellamy." She told him, reaching up to caress his face. "We did it together." She beamed up at him and he nodded before pulling her in for another hug.

The took their bows like always and made their way over to Marcus. He pulled them both in for hugs and gave his congratulations.

They took their places as the now-familiar booth and awaited their scores. Someone handed Clarke a water bottle, but she was still too dazed to breathe, never mind drink. She leant into Bellamy's side as the slow-motion replays were displayed on the screens. She saw herself grinning at Bellamy as he span her around and she could see her gaze was filled with love. She felt herself redden slightly and held the cool bottle up to her face to try and cool off.

"No pressure," said Miller as he leant over to talk to them. "But you need to beat Harper and Monty's of 205.7, and a new world record." Clarke rolled her eyes and Bellamy shoved Miller's shoulder lightly. The screen above them changed to the Olympic rings and all their eyes shot up to see their score be announced.

 ** _Technical elements:_** _63.35_ _ **Presentation:**_ _59.05_ _ **Deductions:**_ _0.00_ _ **Total:**_ _122.40_

 ** _Short Dance:_** _83.67_ _ **Free Dance:**_ _122.40_ _ **Total:**_ _206.07_

Clarke took a second to read the score again in case she read it wrong the first time. She felt tears well in her eyes and she laughed at the craziness of the situation. Bellamy jumped up and pulled Clarke into a tight hug. She squeezed him back just as tightly, letting all of her pride and triumph out through the hug. He was saying things into her hair but Clarke couldn't even listen she was completely dazed.

Clarke still felt completely out of it during the awards ceremony. They hugged the other competitors and shook their hands but Clarke couldn't remember what any of them had said to her. She felt Bellamy's hand on her arms before he trailed it down to clasp her hand. She looked over at him and smiled. He helped her up onto the podium and the chatted quietly while the rest of the people needed for the ceremony got ready.

"So, what are you going to do with your gold medal?" He asked as he settled his arm on her waist and pulled her to his side.

"I'm thinking I might wear it as a necklace to lunch with my mom." She replied with a smirk. He prodded her side and she yelped in surprise. The other skaters sent them questioning looks and Clarke erupted into a fit of giggles. Bellamy pressed his face into her neck to hide his laughter.

He moved his head away, but only slightly. Their faces were inches apart and Clarke made no effort to move. She looked up at Bellamy to see his eyes boring into hers. She bit her lip to hide her smile and she saw Bellamy's eyes flicker down to the movement.

 _Oh_ , she thought. His gaze slowly made its way back up to hers. He'd never looked at her like that before, not off the ice at least.

Before she could act on whatever that was, the announced said the medal ceremony would begin. Clarke snapped her gaze away from Bellamy and tried to focus on anything but his hand resting on her waist and the look he'd just given her.

* * *

Winning gold felt amazing. Being tucked under Bellamy's arm as they skated around the rink with their country's flag was the perfect ending to an already perfect day. Cameras flashed almost continuously as they skated around and Clarke was reminded that her and Bellamy were in fact, not in their own little bubble. Soon they would have to get off the ice and face the rest of the world. Clarke leaned into Bellamy's side and he brought his arm tighter around her.

"You okay?" He whispered into her skin before he pressed a kiss to her temple.

"I'm fine." She replied with a small smile. Bellamy raised his eyebrows in question.

She felt a stab of guilt, they'd trained for years to get here and they'd finally won gold and she was making their last few moments on the Olympic rink sour. Her heart twisted painfully at the thought of it being their last time here and she turned her face away to blink away the tears.

Bellamy moved the flag down so more of their face were covered and away from the press. She shot him a thankful smile and he gave her a worried look.

"I'm just tired and overwhelmed." She told him, it wasn't a lie really, she was exhausted and couldn't wait to get back to the hotel room to sleep.

Bellamy scanned her face and seemed to believe her. They'd reached the end of their final lap, it was time to face the press.

As soon as they were off the ice, Clarke and Bellamy were swept up in celebrations. She chatted with all their coaches and the extensive team. She got separated from Bellamy as numerous people crowded in around them to congratulate them. She missed his presence at her side but she was glad for the distractions, it stopped her from overthinking the way he'd looked at her on the podium. Her eyes snapped across at one point to see Bellamy looking over at her. She shot him a smile and he smiled back before returning to his conversation.

After a few moments Clarke and Bellamy were ushered into the press room, ready to take questions from the world's journalists.

She accepted the team USA jacket from Kane, feeling overexposed now that she wasn't on the ice. She settled into the seat next to Bellamy and accepted the water they were offered. The questions started off the usual way; asking them out their dance routines and how it felt to win gold.

"This question's for Clarke." One of the men from a British newspaper said. Clarke turned her attention to him and nodded, giving him a small smile for him to continue.

"Do you think you'd have got this far if you were still skating with Finn Collins?"

Clarke frowned, she wasn't prepared for questions about Finn, since he wasn't really relevant.

"Uh," she paused the compose her thoughts, not sure on how to approach this topic. The simple answer would be "obviously not" but she didn't think Marcus would deem that _appropriate Olympian conduct_. Clarke could feel all the eyes in the room on her and her heart rate picked up, trying to get out of this situation. She was about to refuse to answer the question when she felt Bellamy's hand squeeze her leg. She shot him a small smile before taking a deep breath.

"Finn and I were a good match, I think." She said finally. "I don't think we should dwell on the past. Our partnership ended amicably, but I haven't spoken to him in over a year, so I don't really think that question is relevant." She said before taking a sip of the water to calm her nerves.

Marcus nodded at her from the back of the room and she released a breath. Another journalist started talking, announcing where they were from but Clarke wasn't really paying attention. Bellamy had yet to remove his hand from her leg.

"This partnership has only been a brief one compared to other couples, how did you work around your inexperience?" The journalist asked as she picked up her pen.

Clarke looked over at Bellamy, willing him to answer this one. He cleared his throat and faced the reporters.

"I think sometimes you just find a partner and you click instantly. It still took time for to learn how the other works, but that initial click was definitely there, I think." His thumb was rubbing patterns on her leg and it was very distracting.

"I think we're really lucky," he continued as he looked over at her. "Some people wait their entire lives to find a partnership like this one and we're so lucky to have each other." Clarke felt tears well in her eyes for the third time that day. She placed her hand on top of Bellamy's under the table and she shot him a small smile. She nodded in agreement, they were lucky to have each other.

"What was your mindset going into the final dance?" Piped up one reporter. Clarke managed to draw her attention away from Bellamy and took a sip of the water before answering.

"We didn't know the score that Harper and Monty got, but we knew it would be high," she said. "But we just decided to skate for ourselves, it's our first Olympics together, and we just wanted to enjoy our time together because before you know it, it's over." She smiled sadly, but continued. "We just wanted to make each other proud."

The rest of the questions were wrapped up, all the time Bellamy kept his hand on her leg, and her hand on top of this. When it came to leaving the press conference, she took his hand and they walked out together. Cameras flashed again as they left and Clarke and Bellamy waved and smiled.

* * *

 ** _Wells Jaha  
_** _When did you and Bellamy start dating?_

 ** _Clarke Griffin  
_** _WHAT?!_

 ** _Wells Jaha  
_** _Come on, Clarke.  
You can't fool me.  
How long?_

 **** ** _Clarke Griffin  
_** **** _There is nothing going on!_

 ** _Wells Jaha  
_** _Hmm, sounds fake but okay._

Clarke groaned as she settled back into her bed. Even though Wells didn't skate anymore, he still kept up with all the news and often texted her with news, but his sudden interest in her love life was unexpected. Wells had been texting her nonstop throughout the Olympics but since their win was televised he'd started asking about her and Bellamy's relationship and Clarke was so tired. She was pretty sure she was in love with him, her feelings had surpassed a measly crush months ago. And now she was in deep with no way of knowing how Bellamy felt.

She thought about his hand on her leg in the interview and the way his gaze made its way down to her lips on the podium. Maybe she did know how he felt, but she could be reading the situation entirely wrong.

She flopped back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Parties were going on outside as other athletes celebrated their wins and drowned their losses. Clarke sighed. She played over every interaction she'd had with Bellamy, trying to gauge his feelings. It was obvious he loved her, but Clarke feared it was platonic, and that everything he did on the ice was just for show.

She rubbed her eyes and supressed another groan. She knew there was only one thing to do. She sat up and made her way over to the door between hers and Bellamy's rooms.

She knocked on the door, something she didn't usually do.

"It's open." Came Bellamy's muffled voice.

She opened the door to him lying on his stomach on the bed in his sweats. She paused at the door. Seeing Bellamy in costume was amazing, but there was something so sweet about seeing him relaxed with no pressure on him. He smiled up at her and her breath caught in her throat.

"Shouldn't you be out celebrating?" She teased as she came into the room, trying to calm her heart down as it thumped wildly in her chest.

"I could ask you the same thing." He replied as he sat up.

"Bell, we just won gold, broke the world record, and this is your last Olympics. You should not be sat in here watching," she squinted towards the TV. "Plant Earth." She turned back towards him to see a him frowning.

"What if it's not my last Olympics?" He asked suddenly and she furrowed her brow.

"Bellamy?" She asked, confused. He'd said from the start of their partnership that he'd retire if they ever made it to the Olympics, he was nearing thirty, and couldn't skate forever.

"Think about it," he said quietly as he stood from the bed. "I'm only twenty-nine. There's loads of skaters older than I am." He came to stand in front of her.

"What happened to quitting while you were ahead?" She teased. He looked down at her and the laugh died in her throat. Bellamy looked very serious suddenly, she hardly ever saw him like this anymore, not since they became friends.

"Clarke," he said softly and her eyes flickered up to his. "I love skating with you, more than I've ever loved skating with anyone else." He brought his hands up to cup her face and Clarke's breathing hitched.

"I cannot imagine taking to the ice with anyone else, and if you'd let me I'd like to skate with you for as long as possible." Clarke felt warmth spread throughout her chest as a smile spread across her face.

"Bellamy," she whispered, bringing her hands up to settle above his. "I wouldn't want to skate with anyone else either." She admitted. She pulled her hand away to reach up and brush some of the curls away from his face. He leant into the contact and she smiled up at him.

She let her eyes dance across his face and took in all of his features. Her eyes paused at his lips and she slowly slid her gaze back up to his eyes, there was an intensity there that she was only used to seeing on the ice. Her heart hammered in her chest as she watched Bellamy's gaze slide down to her lips, just like it had on the podium. She subconsciously wet her lips with her tongue and she watched his eyes track the movement.

Suddenly, Bellamy surged forward and crashed his lips to hers. For a heartbeat Clarke couldn't move, she stood shocked. She quickly snapped into action and returned the kiss with fervour. Her fingers slid up into Bellamy's hair and she tugged his inky curls slightly. He nipped her lower lip in response and she opened her mouth up to him, allowing him to deepen the kiss. He trailed his hands down her neck and back and settled them on her hips, causing a trail of goosebumps to rise on her skin. Without warning, he pulled her flush against him and Clarke moaned into his mouth at the contact. If they were coordinated on the ice that was nothing compared to this kiss, every movement felt well-rehearsed, like both of them had been preparing for this moment, and Clarke mused that they had really.

Clarke pulled away for breath but kept her face close to Bellamy's. She could feel his breath on her lips, just like it had many times before when they were skating. This time it was different though.

Clarke pressed her forehead against Bellamy's and let her thumbs trace the parts of his face she could reach, skirting over all the freckles she loved so much.

"I love you." Bellamy admitted quietly, pulling away slightly so he could look into her eyes. Clarke stood in shock, not expecting the confession. His eyes were dark and his face was flushed, he'd never looked more beautiful to Clarke. He was looking at her as if she hung the stars and she knew her expression was a similar one.

"I love you, too." Clarke replied with a grin after a moment. Bellamy leaned in to recapture her lips, the kiss was messy; they were both smiling too much but Clarke thought it was perfect. He peppered kisses over her cheeks and around her temple, Clarke giggling in response. She felt Bellamy smile against her skin and she sighed contently.

They stood for a long time just smiling at each other, but they were in no rush; they had four more years of competitive skating at least yet. She reached up to press a soft kiss to his lips, it was the sort of kiss that wasn't going to lead anywhere, it was just a way to bring them closer. Clarke tried to convey all the love she felt into the kiss. Bellamy seemed to understand without her having to say anything and he cupped her cheek and returned the kiss lovingly.

Winning gold was amazing, but loving Bellamy Blake and having him love her in return was better than any medal.

 _ **fin.**_

* * *

Phew! I hope you all enjoyed it! This took a lot of work and I'm really proud to be posting it finally! Any comments/reviews etc are always appreciated.  
I'm also on tumblr if you fancy watching me cry over bellarke and other shows? ( isla1975) come chat with me!


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